NMC revalidation

Every nurse, midwife and nursing associate on the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) register in the UK must revalidate every three years to stay on it. You complete it online through NMC Online by the date your registration expires. It asks for a minimum number of practice hours, continuing professional development (CPD), feedback, written reflection, a reflective discussion with another registrant, a health and character declaration, proof of indemnity and confirmation from a suitable person. Miss the deadline and your registration lapses, so you cannot work as a nurse until you are readmitted.

What you need to provide

The NMC sets the requirements and they are the same across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Requirement	What it involves
Practice hours	At least 450 hours over the three years for one registration; 900 if you hold nursing and midwifery registration together
CPD	At least 35 hours, of which at least 20 must be participatory learning with other people
Practice-related feedback	At least five pieces, from patients, colleagues, students or others
Written reflective accounts	Five, each linked to the Code and to your CPD, feedback or practice
Reflective discussion	A discussion of your accounts with another NMC registrant
Health and character	A declaration, including any cautions or convictions
Indemnity	Confirmation that you have appropriate cover, usually through your employer
Confirmation	A confirmer checks you have met the requirements

The practice hours must be in a role that uses your registration. Direct patient care counts, and so do management, education, research and policy roles where you use your nursing or midwifery knowledge.

CPD that counts

Participatory learning means learning with at least one other professional: study days, workshops, conferences, in-person or online group training, or learning with colleagues in practice. The remaining hours can be individual learning such as reading, e-learning or reflecting on guidance. Mandatory training can count if it relates to your practice, although a routine course such as fire safety gives you less to reflect on than clinical learning.

Keep a log with the date, method, topic, number of hours, how it relates to the Code and the participatory hours separately. The NMC provides templates. Keep certificates and evidence, because you may be asked for them if your application is selected for verification.

Feedback and reflective accounts

Feedback can be formal, such as complaint letters, audit results or patient survey comments, or informal, such as a thank-you card or a colleague’s comments after a shift. It can be about you individually or your team. You do not submit the feedback itself. You note it and reflect on it.

Each of the five reflective accounts describes an event, piece of feedback or CPD activity, what you learned, how you changed your practice, and how it relates to the four themes of the NMC Code. Remove anything that could identify a patient.

The reflective discussion and confirmation

You discuss your reflective accounts with another NMC-registered nurse, midwife or nursing associate, who signs a form confirming the discussion took place. This is often your line manager, but it does not have to be.

The confirmer checks that you have met all the requirements and signs to say so, and is usually your line manager. If your manager is not NMC-registered, the reflective discussion has to be with someone who is, and that person can be separate from your confirmer. Self-employed and agency staff can choose a suitable confirmer, such as another registrant.

Deadlines and what happens if you miss them

Your revalidation application date is the first day of the month your registration expires. The NMC sends a reminder ahead of the date and opens your application on NMC Online in good time, and you can submit any time in the window before the deadline. In the years between, you also pay your annual registration fee, which the NMC sets. Missing an annual fee payment causes a lapse just as missing revalidation does.

If your registration lapses, you cannot practise as a nurse, midwife or nursing associate, and your employer will normally take you off clinical duties straight away. Some employers move you into an unregistered role temporarily and others suspend pay. You then apply for readmission, which takes time and can involve further checks. After some time away from practice you may need a return to practice course; see returning to nursing.

If something serious such as illness prevents you revalidating on time, apply to the NMC for an extension before the deadline. Extensions are not given retrospectively.

Help with the process and costs

Most NHS trusts have a revalidation lead or a nursing education team who can help you find a confirmer and check your evidence. Unions such as the RCN, Unison and the RCM also publish guidance for members.

Your annual NMC fee is on HMRC’s list of approved professional bodies, so you can claim tax relief on it. Tax relief on professional fees explains how, and continuing professional development covers how CPD works across other public sector jobs. Nursing associates follow exactly the same process; see nursing associate for how that role is regulated.